Sooryavanshi bagged the Player-of-the-Series award in the recent T20I tour of Zimbabwe.
Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin strongly defended Vaibhav Sooryavanshi against critics, dismissing heavy scrutiny regarding the teenager’s struggles against short balls during India's tour of England.
Ashwin pointed out even Australian legend Ricky Ponting frequently fell victim to short-pitched bowling, highlighting that having distinct strengths and weaknesses is standard for every cricketer.
He emphasized that facing hostile short-pitched bowling from speedsters like Jofra Archer provides invaluable experiential learning, while also noting Sooryavanshi's breakthrough Orange Cap-winning IPL 2026 campaign skyrocketed expectations far too early.
Ashwin cautioned fans and experts against writing the 15-year-old off after just a handful of tough away games.
"There was nothing different about him. He is the same player. And there is no need for him to show himself differently. Why do we want that? He is a good player as he is. People spoke about the short ball stuff. Did Ricky Ponting never get out to the short ball? We must understand that someone has different strengths and weaknesses. All these things are common. How many times has Vaibhav played Jofra in England before? These are all experiences. We cannot write off anybody just like that. The problem is that expectations from him have skyrocketed, so we want him to perform every game," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
While Sooryavanshi failed to make a mark in his debut T20I series, he bagged the Player-of-the-Series award in the subsequent tour of Zimbabwe, where India pulled off a 3-0 whitewash.
The southpaw displayed his repertoire of strokes as he amassed 151 runs at a strike rate of 196.10, including two half-centuries in three innings.
Reflecting on the young prodigy’s performance in Zimbabwe, Ashwin said: "I liked the fact that the wicket was a bit slow and the ball was also spinning. He adapted so well. He was going at a much lesser strike rate. He was stepping out and hitting the spinners. All those are very commendable qualities. A small kid can't hit a spinner while standing on this wicket, so he used his feet. This is a very mature thing. His learning curve is so good that if he sits outside and observes all this, he will become an even stronger player. That was my intention (on saying he can sit out). He is going to be a phenomenal player. Let him evolve, give him time."
"He will be consistent. His standard performance will not come here. There will be ups and downs. He will be consistent in both cricket and life. So, I think, all in all, he has a lot of ability. And he has shown how he can adapt. In IPL, I have said this so many times in commentary and review that his improvement graph is at a different level. For a 15- 16-year-old kid, I have never seen such an improvement graph. And that is exceptional," he concluded.